Endura FS260-Pro Adrenaline Race Cape

The FS260-Pro Adrenaline Race Cape is a great garment from Endura, proving breathable race capes can be relatively affordable. In my experience, packable race-light 'shells' (it's not a cape in the old sense of the word) can be one of two things: super-expensive yet breathable and comfortable, or cheap and boil-in-the-bag. I'm delighted to report here that the FS260-Pro straddles the two definitions.

Endura claims that breathability is rated at '20,000g'. Essentially, this means that 20kg worth of moisture will be transferred through the fabric per square metre in a 24-hour window. Focused down, for a four-hour training ride you can expect a square metre of the Adrenaline Race Cape fabric to shift 6kg of sweaty moisture. This sounds impressive, but how does it function in reality?

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Put simply: very well. Of course, there's a limit to how effective any breathable fabric can be. Even industry standard Gore-Tex meets its match in a combination of humidity, warmth and exertion. But, if you're riding at a high tempo, the Endura keeps you as dry as I've experienced in a shell such as this. It works best in cooler conditions – and layering up too much negates its effectiveness – but it really is quite impressive.

Alongside this, the Adrenaline also boasts 15,000mm water column of waterproofness. Caught in a couple of heavy showers, I found the Race Cape a good option, especially with the unseasonably warm weather the UK has had so far this winter. It really does keep the rain off impressively well, if not quite as well as a sturdier dedicated rain jacket. It wouldn't replace a full-on rain jacket, but certainly I've never felt as confident in a cape to deal with inclement conditions as I have with this one.

Aiding this waterproofness are taped seams and hems at the waist and wrists that create a gentle seal to stop water worming its way inside. These are created from a reflective material, upping the jacket's visibility rating. I had a fluoro green colour to test, which also helped, but you can have white or black if fluoro isn't your thing. I confess, it's not usually my bag, but this translucent fluoro (so racers can have their numbers seen through the back of the jacket) isn't too bad.

Unfortunately, and this is my only real gripe with the jacket, the cut is a touch baggy. Considering the race aspirations Endura has for this cape, I would have expected a slimmer cut, especially taking into account the slight stretch the fabric offers. It means when the wind picks up you can sound a bit like a plastic bag.

Of course, packability is one of the forefront features of the cape too – it very easily compresses into a pocket, and if you're into fastidious pocket neatness, it also comes with its own attached bag for storage. This is made of the same fabric as the jacket, so doesn't add any bulk at all.

Sizing overall largely matches up with general sizing charts – but with the slightly baggy nature of the cut, I got away with a medium, though I usually wear a large for outerwear. If you do opt for a tighter fit, I also recommend taking care when taking off the cape. The stitching is inevitably lightweight to avoid adding bulk, so this has its slight pitfall in being more delicate than it otherwise would be.

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This also meant I was nervous about putting it through a wash, too, but it does clean up well, especially if you chuck it in the washer before it has a chance to fully dry. Alternatively, you could hand wash it in warm soapy water. Just be sure to hang it out properly when drying to avoid too much creasing – you can't iron it! A very small price to pay for the cape's packability, though.

What is also (comparatively) small is the price. At an rrp of £64.99, this sits in the middle range of race cape pricing, but if you scout about online you can pick one up for as little as £47.49, when it starts to become excellent value...

Verdict

This is a top-performing packable cape, at a not over the top price – you can't go far wrong